


And The World Was Gone

by Casspiration



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alpha Peter Hale, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dead Sheriff Stilinski, Hurt Stiles, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Slow Burn, Stiles is Derek's Anchor, The Alpha Pack, Werewolf Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-14 18:24:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4575060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casspiration/pseuds/Casspiration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles' mother and father were killed by a rogue alpha when he only five, leaving him bitten and alone.  He was taken in by the Hales, and werewolf life is the only one he has truly ever known.  The Hale house is burned when he is ten, and almost all of his second family is taken from him.  Laura raises him in New York with Derek, but when one of their surviving cousins calls them back in dire need of help, they pack up and go back to the town that haunts their dreams every night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that I do all of my own proof reading and there is probably a few grammatical mistakes...I kinda suck at editing. Also, warning there is a lot of gore in this chapter

Rain fell softly against the hood of the car as it stood still at the red light. The music was playing quietly, a soft song lulling the child in the back of the car to sleep. The couple in the front’s hands were locked together as the man drove them through the night. Everything was peaceful.

“Stiles honey, are you awake back there?” The woman asked, smiling back at the boy who wide chocolate eyes were slowly closing. He tried to respond, but it came out mostly as just a yawn.

The howl broke through the peace quickly.

“Wolves?” The woman said curiously, but her husband shook his head.

“California hasn’t had wolves for over sixty years, must be a dog of some sorts,” he said, dismissing the topic. He didn’t know how wrong he was. California may not have wolves, but it did have something, and whatever it was…was out there.

They continued driving, but there was now an added tension as the howl sounded again and the woman looked pointedly at her husband as if to say; “There’s no way that isn’t wolves.” He was even starting to look doubtful of what he had said.

That was when the person jumped out in front of the car. The woman screamed and the man swerved, his car sliding off the road onto the muddy bank, skidding to a stop against a tree. The howling sounded again, louder and more near accompanied with a low growling. A figure stood in the dark as the man jumped out of the car to check on his terrified son in the back seat.

The figure stepped forward and the man swore he saw the whites of claws slash through the nights. His eyes glowed red as he approached and his nails were long and jagged.

“Who are you?” the man asked, turning to see his wife, scared and shaking standing by the car where Stiles was peering out, tears streaming down his little face. Instead of answering, the man smiled a too-toothy smile grin, barring fangs as he lunged forward, catching the man’s throat in his teeth. There was the sickening snap of bones as the man went limp, not even a cry falling from his lips.

“No!” The woman scream, bundling her crying child in her arms. The men growled, a feral sound falling from their lips, bounding after her as she darted around through the brush, her child clutched to her chest. She let out a scream when a clawed hand caught her ankle, nails digging into her skin and snapping her ankle with ease.

She whimpered as she limped along, finally tumbling to the ground and using her body as a barrier to protect the child, who’s crying had resided to a soft, terrified, whimper. The wolf-man grabbed the woman’s ankle and pulled her away from her son, jumping forward to dig his claws into her back, and then snapping her neck.

“M-mommy,” the boy whimpered, reaching a small hand out. He was staring into his mother’s motionless face, trying to make his way towards her.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you,” the red-eyed man smiled, “You are going to make the perfect beta, you will help me take down the bitch of an alpha in charge here. We can take down this pack and all the hunters and live free,” the man smiled, but the boy didn’t know what he was talking about. He hurriedly pushed himself father away, shaking when the red-eyed man approached him, teeth jutting out from under his upper lip.

“Mommy!” The boy screamed, “Daddy! Help!” His desperate cries rang out through the empty forest, ringing off the trees.

The red-eyed-man approached him slowly, teasingly, letting the boy try to run just to pull him down again. “Not so fast,” the hot breath of the man fanned out over the shell of his ear and he screamed as he felt claws dig into the soft flesh of his back. Teeth bit roughly into his shoulder and he fought vainly, panting and wordlessly screaming, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. His hands scrambled in the leaves, desperately looking for purchase so he could pull himself away.

When the grip on him was finally released, his staggered and tried to stand, but the searing pain forced him to his knees. His little hands gripped his shoulder where the bite wound was gushing blood onto the forest floor.

Another bone-shaking howl rang through the night, but the boy barely heard it; he was on the verge of passing out, black dotting his vision.

A woman burst through the trees with a growl, followed by three men, all of whose eyes were glowing gold. The boy hid himself behind a tree, not looking as a fight began. He could hear the slashes of claws through flesh and the snaps as teeth broke through bone. When the silence finally came again, he dared to let out a little cry of pain as he tried to shift, but found it tugged too much at his injuries.

When the woman came around the three where he was hiding and bent down by him, he screamed and fell to the side, trying to pull himself away desperately clawing at the ground.

“Shh, sweetie, it is okay,” the woman reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Black veins danced up her arm and suddenly he could breathe properly again. The boy’s pain melted away and he looked up at her and the others, “Everything’s gonna be okay now.”

Stiles woke with a gasp, shooting up in bed, gripping the sheets tightly. A face was looming over his and someone had been shaking his shoulders.

“Stiles? Are you all right? You were crying in your sleep!” the voice said and he recognized it as Derek. Because of the crowded space in the house, he shared a room with the middle child of none other than the alpha, Talia Hale. There were fifteen of them in all, all crowded into seven bedrooms. It would have been odd for humans, but it wasn’t for werewolves. They were family, family was pack, and family stayed together. Even bigger packs owned land with multiple houses on it, but there was small enough to fit into their current place.

“Yeah, I’m fine, had the same nightmare again,” Stiles whispered, and Derek knew exactly what he meant. He knew Stiles was recounting the death of his parents and his turning. It was the only memory Stiles had of his parents, or of being a human. He was only ten, but it was as if his mind had completely shut everything else out.

Talia Hale, her two brothers, and her mate had saved him that night, and he had recounted it vividly ever since then.

“It’s okay,” Derek said softly, taking Stiles into his arms as he had done many times before. Derek was a few years older, almost sixteen, and Stiles’ biggest role model. He didn’t exactly see the older boy as a brother, more a best friend and pack. In fact Stiles had never truly accepted the Hales as his family, but they were all still close. Talia had spent years trying to get Stiles to accept her as a mother, but the stubborn boy refused. He had actually been a mute for the first year they took care of him, but they soon coaxed him into the talkative boy he is today.

The two boys dressed and got ready for school, and Stiles tried to ignore Derek’s watchful eye on him. Derek was protective of his sisters and all of his cousins as well, but there was something different about Stiles. Maybe it had to do with his past, but for some reason, Derek felt the need to protect him.

When they headed downstairs, everyone was waiting, even the two toddlers.

The family consisted of Talia, the alpha, her mate Kevin, and their three children, Laura, Derek, and Cora, Talia’s brother Peter, his human wife Marie, and their children, Michael, the human twins Brett and Blake, and their youngest daughter Sophie, as well as Talia’s other brother, Mathew, and his human wife Susan, and their single child Lila. Other than Derek, Stiles got along best with Brett, Blake, and Cora, who were all his age and in his grade. Michael and Laura were both seniors in high school, Derek was sixteen, and Sophie and Lila were two and three. Because Marie was a human, Brett and Blake had been born human rather than werewolves. This wasn’t abnormal, and happened a lot between humans. Only an alpha’s children were sure to be werewolves.

A mound of pancakes had been cooked for breakfast by Susan and Marie, and some of the children were already digging in. Stiles is met with Talia’s sympathetic gaze, and he knew they had all heard his nightmare. That was the downfall to werewolf senses, they could hear his panic.

He sat beside Blake who was consuming pancakes almost as fast as his mother could cook them.

“Slow down before you choke!” Peter laughed at his human son. It hadn’t exactly been a surprise to Talia when her brother’s twin sons were born human, but she had been worried about how he would react. He had accepted the boys just as he had his other children, and they were just as tough as all the rest of the werewolf children (being human didn’t mean they got it easy when it came to training).

“Leave some for me!” Brett exclaimed, grabbing at his brother’s plate a pulling it. Stiles laughed, taking a few pancakes of his own and sitting in between the fighting boys and Laura, who was sipping at coffee and reading a book.

“Stiles what are you wearing?” Talia asked as she sat across from him, and Stiles looked down at his outfit. “It’s only forty degrees out! You can’t wear shorts and a tee shirt!”

“But I’m not cold!” Stiles protested, crossing his arms. It was true that werewolves had an elevated body temperature and were effected very little by cold weather, but it would look bad for any sensible parent to send their ten-year-old outside dressed in almost nothing during fall.

“Derek,” Talia turned to her son who was grabbing food of his own while juggling a glass of orange juice in the other hand. “Make sure to at least get Stiles a coat, we don’t need the teachers calling home for any other reasons,” she said, and Derek simply huffed a groan of annoyance. Stiles was definitely the troublemaker. Once he had come out of his shell, he had discovered how to properly use his strengths, it had become a nightmare. Talia, being his legal guardian had had many time where she had to explain the boy’s antics which included and were not limited to; throwing a desk in class, cutting bullies with his claws, growling at other children, eating chalk, and literally yanking hair out of other children’s heads. If it weren’t for how smart he was, he probably would have been taken away from them years ago.

Once breakfast was over, Michael drove himself, Laura, and Derek to school while Marie loaded up Stiles, Cora, Brett, and Blake into the car. It was a timely process because the four always argued who would get to sit up front while the three others crammed into the back. Stiles hated these arguments (which Cora usually won because she was terrifying as a ten-year-old could get), but he never knew how cherished they would become in his future when there was no one left to argue with about seats in the car.

At school, Stiles caused his teachers a living hell, but they were used to it. He was as close a werewolf could come to having ADHD. Gym was always his favorite because he was better than all the other kids at just about anything physical (and he always managed to keep his yellow eyes in check). During dodge ball he was feared, and he put at least two kids in the nurse’s office a month. Cora was more controlled, maybe it was because she wasn’t as competitive, or was just smarter than Stiles (probably the later), or maybe it was because she just didn’t care about gym. Stiles made up for all these setbacks in class, where he was one of the smartest kids in his class. Out of school, Peter as teaching him Latin, and in his free time he read about as many books as a college student. He was a complicated ten-year-old to say the least, but Talia and the others all pressed the children for greatness, never allowing slacking. Stiles was already learning fighting along with all the other children, and doing workouts at least once or twice a week with Derek and Michael. It was a dangerous world for people like them.

Most of the time, Stiles was basically the same as any born wolf because he did not remember ever being human, but he always had his moments where he would question what it would be like to be like Brett and Blake, or Susan and Marie. What it would be like to be human. Of course, for the most part, he didn’t see himself as different at all. He didn’t know what the hunters were, or that they even existed. They weren’t even fairytales or nightmares because they were never spoken of unless the danger of them were near.

Hide your eyes and your strength. Don’t let them realize you are different.

That was the process Stiles followed. He didn’t know why, and he had never been one to follow the rules, but he knew this one was important by the tone of Talia’s voice every time she spoke it.

His first experience with hunters came that night when Mathew and Peter came home with arrows sticking out of their backs and shoulders. He hadn’t seen much because Michael had rushed him and the other children off into the next room, but he could smell the blood, and the rot of something that hurt his nose with each inhale.

“What is that?” Stiles whimpered, covering his sensitive nose with his shirt. The others were doing the same, and the two toddlers were balling their eyes out at the scent of the other’s fear.

“Its wolfsbane,” Peter’s voice came from the doorway. He was leaning against it for support, “Poisoned arrows,” he said, a little quieter.

“Peter! Sit down and let Kevin treat you,” Talia worried at her brother, trying to pull her back to the other room.

“No, they need to know what’s happening!” he snapped back, pulling his arm away from her grasp.

“They’re too young!” Talia protested, but her tone gave it away that she wasn’t completely against the idea. They were in danger, and they needed to know.

“Hunters did this to me,” he said, “And to my brother, and they will do it to you without hesitation. We have done nothing to disturb their code, so it is obvious that they are going after anything they believe is a threat. Smell the scent on these arrows? You smell that and you run, run far away because if you smell wolfsbane, then it’s a hunter,” Peter explained, and Stiles looked at him with wide eyes, barely understanding.

He still didn’t understand a week later when a strange man approached him in the grocery store and tried to lead him away until Talia came to his rescue and scared the man with a growl. He didn’t understand even when there were men that followed them everywhere and kept posts on them.

There was no trace of the hunters a week before it happened. Finally the tension had left, and the Hales had decided that the hunters had actually followed their code and realized they were innocent. That wasn’t the case at all.

Stiles was alone on the porch when he smelled it. Pungent and strong, and it made his nose water. He also picked up traces of wolfsbane and he knew something was wrong. He rushed into the home to find everyone was nowhere to be found. In his panic he rushed around, opening doors and calling different people’s names as the smell became stronger and the smoke began to fill his lungs making it hard to believe. Then the smell of blood hit him like a wave and he heard screams.

“Help! Help we’re trapped!” The voices that would haunt his ears for years called shrilly. He heard howls of pain both human and wolf, and he smelt burning flesh, everything stinging his senses. The fire closed in behind him, trapping him against the wall. He whimpered as the flames grew closer, licking at the skin of his arms with a warm pain, making the skin sizzle.

A strong arm wrapped around him and pulled, and he barely had time to recognize Laura’s scent before she was whisking him away. He had burns up and down his arms and he was crying but he could barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears. She rushed him up the stairs and at the top he was passed off to Michael, who careful brought him outside, going right back in. Stiles sat on the wooden deck with tears streaming down his face. He could hear the screams, they were loud and deafening in his ears, quickly fading away as the burning smell grew stronger.

Just like all those years ago…he was losing his family. 

Michael reappeared with a crying Sophie in his arms. She was barely making any noise; it was almost more of a wheezing sound accompanied with a gurgling sound. He held her close, trying to ignore how the blood from his burns oozed onto her soot covered onesie.

The last person Michael dragged out was barely a person at all. The smell of burnt flesh was so strong Stiles had to bury his face in Sophie’s hair to keep the smell from reaching his nose. It was Peter; and he had burns covering his body. He wasn’t moving.

“Move! C’mon!” Laura ordered him, and something was different about her voice.

“B-but th-the others!” Stiles stuttered, and Laura gave him a pained look, flashing her eyes red at him. He instantly scrambled up with Sophie in his arms, following after her. If Laura was an alpha that meant…Stiles tried to push his realization away, to stop the churning in his stomach.

“Laura, they’re not healing!” Michael said, his voice panicked, looking between Stiles’ burns and Peter’s. 

“There was wolfsbane in the air, it’s going to trump the healing,” she said, her voice stern, but it was obvious she was trying to stay strong for them. What had happened to the rest of his family? He thought about the smell that had filled his nose and he collapsed on the ground, a sob escaping his mouth. The pain was not only physical, but emotional, and it hit him in a wave. Laura turned around and took the both of them into his arms, placing a hand on each of them. Stiles felt a jolt as she attempted to lift some of the pain away from them but it was no use.

Siren could be heard in the distance and a car peeled up the driveway. Behind him, Stiles could hear the sound of the house burning steadily, a crackling sound that filled his ears.

“Where were you?” Laura screamed as Derek jumped out of his car, running towards them, his eyes stuck on the burning remains of the house.

“Mom? Dad? Cora?” He asked, not waiting for Laura’s answer as his eyes met the remains of Peter curled in Michael’s arms as the boy held his father close.

Police cars and fire trucks began to fill the clearing and Peter was rushed into an ambulance followed by Stiles and Sophie, who were both in critical condition according to the paramedics. Stiles could barely feel anything though as he hung limp in the paramedic’s arms as they rushed him to the ambulance which was filled with the scent of injured Peter and Sophie.

His eyes fluttered shut, and he focused his mind of the fluttering heartbeats of Peter and Sophie to reassure him that they were still here.

When he woke up, Derek, Laura, and Michael were standing over him. He had healed almost all of the way, except the burns had left nasty scars on his arms.

“Why aren’t they healing?” Derek had asked Laura desperately, and she had sighed.

“He’s not letting them,” she sighed out her answer, looking sadly down at the youngest survivor. Sophie had died that morning from the smoke inhalation. She was small and her body couldn’t heal as fast as an adult werewolf could. Peter was in his own induced coma with no signs of any healing and damage to his brain. They weren’t sure if anybody (werewolves included) could come back from that.

“You have to go,” Michael’s voice barely reached his ears. He was only half-awake. 

“Not without you!” Laura had argued back, but it was futile, Michael was not leaving his father. Not after losing the rest of his family.

So they left. Laura took the two of them to New York to start a new life away from it all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they arrived, Michael was waiting outside, his arms crossed, Peter by his side.
> 
> But there was something different about them.
> 
> “Why hello my dear niece and nephews,” Peter smiled, and Laura was happy he had included Stiles in his welcoming, unlike Michael who had obviously not even expected the boy to come. He seemed surprise when he saw Stiles standing there, all grown up. “How has New York been?” He asked, but when he did, his eyes flashed red. Peter was an alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic takes place during season three, and I guess they survived everything without Stiles and Derek (Michael is kinda like Derek, but even more broody and too much like Peter). Also, very poorly edited by me so there's probably tons of mistakes.
> 
> Also, Laura's point of view! It will probably be the only chapter from hers, next will be from Derek's.
> 
> Lastly, here is how I imagine Michael Hale to look like: http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmvxego3xW1qbm4oy.jpg (Or young Peter)

"I run through your head  
Loud with a nightmare  
Brushing your skin with my breathing  
Turn out the light  
And every nightlight  
Run you can run you can run  
I blink and the world was gone"

“Laura!” Stiles called as he walked into the small apartment, dropping his keys in the cup by the door, “I’m home!” he exclaimed. He had done the same thing since he was ten, walking home every day from school, and eventually work as well. He had no need to get a job, but working part-time at library at school was a way to blow extra steam. His classes were easy for him, and his homework was never too hard. He had lost a certain bit of his personality in the fire, and was now more quiet and reserved. He had a few friends, but he hated their sympathetic glances when he broke down in panic attacks or was unable to be in a room because the smell of smoke. He had to see a guidance counselor for PTSD every other day during his lunch period as well, and it was nerve wracking. He still had the scars burned up and down the pale expanse of his arms, a reminder of what happened. He could let them heal, he was perfectly capable of it, but it was like his body just refused no matter how hard Laura tried to get him to.

The walls in the hallway were white, probably meant to be painted another color, but there was something peaceful about the neutral color. It didn’t trigger any memories, good or bad. The floors were a dark mahogany wood paired with light gray rugs. There were minimal pictures hanging anywhere, just one single one of the three of them when Stiles was thirteen and had won the science fair. It was a funny sight to see; Derek and Laura on either side of him smiling while Stiles in the middle holding a beaker covered in chemicals which probably shouldn’t have been on his skin. The rest of the pictures were scenery ones Laura had taken over the years and framed to fill the empty space with something.

“How was school?” Laura asked when he entered the living room and threw his bag down by the small couch. The living room and kitchen were connected, and they didn’t have a dining table, just a few stools lined up at the opposite edge of the counter. Everything was cramped, but it was homey, and did not remind them of the spacious house they had once lived in.

“Same old, same old, pretty sure I wanted to rip that dumbass Kyle’s head off. He’s still not over the time I had a panic attack in chemistry and passed out after smelling smoke,” Stiles spat, and Laura let out a small growl, putting her hand on Stile’s shoulder.

“Don’t let the assholes get to you,” she sighed. She knew how hard of a time he was having, especially being raised by his family who were barely even old enough to drive. It was a constant reminder every time Laura had went to one of Stiles’ school events and was surrounded by parents coming to support their children when here she was, a nineteen-year-old girl raising a ten-year-old boy. It had caused many strenuous conversations with teachers and very invasive questions. Despite being smart, Stiles had never really fit in. He had lost more than any of them, even if they didn’t want to admit it. He had lost two families, not only one.

And he had lost Derek.

Once Derek had turned eighteen, Stiles and him had a falling out, and Derek ran away to college to hide from his problems. Laura had never gotten to go because she had to take care of Stiles, and he would forever be guilty for that, and he had been very upset when he had discovered Derek was leaving them only two years after the fire.

Laura still remembered twelve-year-old Stiles crying hysterically and screaming at Derek as he begged him not to go. He had called Derek selfish, and Derek had told him he wasn’t even real family. It had been a harsh blow, and had earned him a glare from Laura.

“You’re a kid! You don’t know anything! You’re not even family!” He had screamed, and Stiles and him hadn’t spoken since. There had been a few awkward instances when Derek had come home from holidays and gotten nothing but the cold shoulder or a simple “pass the ketchup” but they hadn’t had a decent conversation in four years.

“Laura, what’s Derek going to do when he finishes college?” Stiles asked in a small voice, breaking Laura from her thoughts. The apartment only had two rooms, and they could have afforded something bigger but there was something about the closeness that was comforting. They had spent the first few months all cramped onto Laura’s queen sized bed anyways. Derek and Stiles had shared a room, but since Derek had left it had become only Stiles. On the holidays, Derek had slept on the couch or got a hotel room nearby.

“Get a job? Become successful? I’m not sure Stiles,” Laura sighed, looking at the boy’s sad brown eyes.

“Well,” Stiles said, obviously pushing away any continuation of the conversation, “I’m going to go do homework. I have a lot of chemistry to do,” he said, grabbing his discarded bag and going to his room, slamming the door. If Laura hadn’t been a werewolf, she wouldn’t have scented the sadness, and longing wafting off Stiles in waves, but was and she could. He misses him, she thought to herself, sighing.

Her phone ringing stopped her from chasing after him. It was Derek, speak of the devil. She stared at the caller id for a few moments, contemplating ignoring it, and going to Stiles, but she finally answered it. She may talk to Derek, but she still missed her brother. She missed when her brother was happy.

“What’s up?” She said, but she could instantly tell by the rapid thumping of Derek’s heart that something was wrong.

“Michael called me!” He said quickly, “He didn’t say much, but he’s in trouble…he needs us!”

“We can’t Derek, we’ve escaped that. It was his choice to stay,” Laura said, but she wasn’t sure if she could actually go through with that. After burying their family, Laura had packed up what little they had and got ready to leave. Michael refused when he found out his father wouldn’t be able to be transferred because his condition was bad. She didn’t want to leave him, but she couldn’t keep Derek and Stiles there, she had known it wasn’t safe. Michael had said it was okay, it was his choice, and she had left without another word. She hadn’t even gotten his number, knowing it would be too painful to keep in touch. She had stopped hopping years ago that Peter would wake up and Michael would come back to them. It was just another piece of family she had lost.

“He’s family!” Derek growled, and Laura bit back snapping ‘Stiles is family too’.

“Stiles is only sixteen! We can’t leave him, and I’m sure as hell not letting you go alone. Beacon Hills isn’t safe, you know that,” Laura argued back, trying to stay calm and collected.

“He can go to school there, he’ll be fine. Laura, Michael said that Peter is up and breathing. They have a pack, which means there is an alpha!” Derek exclaimed, and Laura froze. An alpha? Had someone taken Michael into their pack? Laura had considered joining packs in their vicinity, but had decided against. Packs were easier to track than omegas because they gathered. They weren’t exactly omegas, Laura was an alpha, but her only beta was Stiles. And an alpha with only one beta was not a pack.

“I’ll think about it. But we’re not going anywhere unless you apologize,” Laura said sternly, and she could practically feel Derek roll his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Laura didn’t hear his heart stutter.

“Not to me, Stiles,” Laura said sternly, and she heard Stiles huffing in the other room. He was listening into the entire conversation, “Stiles, stop eavesdropping,” she said.

“I want to help Michael,” Stiles said, stepping out into the hall, “I’m going to be seventeen soon, I’m a junior, and we wouldn’t be living there forever, right? I could do with a little change!” He said, but Laura knew the idea of something more interesting that stacking books after school was tempting for someone like Stiles; someone with energy to burn and a lust for adventure.

“See, he wants to go!” Derek said, “Michael is family, and so is Peter,” he added sternly.

“I’ll talk to you when you get here,” Laura sighed, “Be safe, okay Derek?”

“I will be, see you soon,” he said curtly, and Stiles heard the sound of the line cutting.

“You know if we go through with this…you will have to talk to Derek. Pack communicates,” she said, “And so does family.”

Stiles looked at for a moment before rushing forward and grabbing her into a hug. She rubbed his back soothingly, also mixing their scents. Ever since she had carried him out of the house, he had clung to her, and her scent always made the panic go away. She thought it was because her scent was associated with safety in Stiles mind.

“We’re family…right?” He asked, his voice small and tentative as if he were afraid of Laura’s answer being no.

“Yes! And don’t ever think otherwise. Family isn’t blood; it’s someone who you care about, someone who takes care of you. They tried to take you away from us because I was only eighteen, but I fought because that’s what family does. And we stick together,” Laura said softly, than replayed her words in her head. And that is why we are going to help Michael.

That night when Derek arrived at the apartment, there was obvious tension. Stiles hid in his room for the first hour while he helped Laura contact Michael and arrange plans. As it turns out, Peter has been up for a few years, and Laura tried not to be disappointed that he had never called to tell them so. Also, they were staying in the loft that their family hadn’t used in years that had strictly been used for training for a few years before it was completely abandoned.

“Stiles, you need to come out eventually,” Derek said as he banged on Stiles’ bedroom door. The boy ignored him, and he heard sheets sliding against skin as the boy shifted.

Laura sent her brother a cold glare mouthing ‘apologize’. Derek had what almost looked like a grown man’s version of a pout on his face when he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Stiles…I’m sorry…” he said, and Laura had to admit it was pretty lame, actually, very lame. It broke the lame scale all together, but for Stiles, it seemed to have worked. The boy threw open the door and engulfed Derek in a hug. For a moment, she was sure Derek was going to rip Stiles’ head from his shoulders- Derek never even let her hug him most of the time- which is why she was surprised when his arms tentatively wrapped around Stiles and awkwardly patted his back.

“You still don’t get any dessert,” Stiles said with a wink, walking towards the kitchen and Laura laughed.

“Too bad, Stiles makes killer peanut butter cookies,” she said, and Derek looked at her with his mouth hung open.

“He bakes?”

“I also cook,” Stiles said dismissively, “I have for a while,” he added, and Laura felt her heart sink, worried the tension was going to reappear between the two.

“Well,” Derek said with the smallest of smiles, “Prove it!”

And Stiles did prove it. 

He made pasta with homemade sauce with tomatoes from the farmer’s market down the street he had insisted Laura shop at for produce during the warmer months. It was delicious, and he even made cookies for dessert. Laura knew it was partly to impress Derek, but she wasn’t complaining as she watched the two talk like they had when they were younger. Every once and a while, Derek would slip up and Stiles would snap at him, and Laura knew all the problems between them were not fixed, but it was a start.

She got them tickets for the next flight, and since Derek’s bag was already packed, all she had to do was pack her and own (and spend hours nagging Stiles to do the same, always getting the response ‘in a few minutes’).

~*~

“Are you guys ready?” Laura asked, and Stiles’ face went pale from where he was sitting in the kitchen. “Stiles!” Laura groaned as the boy raced off to go back a bag last second. Derek chuckled from where he was standing beside her.

“I heard that you brooding jerk!” Stiles yelled from his room where he was hurriedly throwing random clothes into a bag.

Once he was ready, they called for a taxi, and Laura got to experience what she was sure was the most awkward car ride ever.

Apparently the night before hadn’t completely healed Stiles’ and Derek’s relationship, because she sat in between them as they ignored each other. Neither even attempted to start a conversation, leaving Laura to be stuck as the barrier between a rush of anger and longing which was rolling off either respective werewolf. Sometimes, she hated the extra sense, and wondered what it would be like to talk to a person and not know exactly what they were feeling.

She practically crawled over Stiles’ lap to escape the taxi, already dreading the long plane ride.

The terminal was a mix of scents and noises, and quite overwhelming for any werewolf. Stiles walked huddled close to Laura, and she worried he was going to have a panic attack. She was grateful that despite all the noise and smells, there wasn’t the one that usually triggered Stiles.

“It’s warm, why are you wearing a jacket?” Derek asked Stiles, and the boy glared from where he was practically hanging off Laura.

Laura turned to glare at him and Derek sighed. He knew just as well as him that it was because of the scars. Stiles hated people seeing them, even Laura. He had practically boycotted short sleeve shirts all together. Laura had finally gotten him to wear them, but as soon as Derek had come he had instantly built back up all her walls.

“It’s actually kinda chilly,” Laura said curtly, dismissing the topic. This was going to be a long plane ride.

Laura thanked the Gods that Derek’s seat was a row in front of theirs to avoid all awkward conversation (Stiles slept most of the way anyways because…he’s Stiles). Laura read a book and watched the clouds pass outside the window, even taking a few pictures. She found it difficult to sleep on planes because she couldn’t seem to just turn off her senses like Stiles. That was more of a bitten wolf thing, and one of the only traits of one Stiles had. Since he could remember hearing like a human, he was able to force himself to. But other than that, he didn’t have half the idea what being a human was like.

When they finally landed, Laura was pretty sure Derek wanted to run off of the plane. He didn’t get very far because they had to wait in the parking lot for someone to come pick them up. Laura had been told Michael was sending a beta they had never met before. Laura was still new to the idea of Michael having a pack, and was stuck wondering who the alpha was. Was it someone who had moved to Beacon Hills? How big was the pack?

She had so many questions and she was sure it was the same for Stiles and Derek, but they all had to refrain when finally the beta drove up. He got out and smiled at them, giving a small awkward wave. He looked to be about Stiles’ age and he was obviously bitten. Laura could tell when he scented the air, an act that was easily hidden by a born wolf (and Stiles since he didn’t really fit into either category).

“I’m Scott, you must be…Laura and Derek…” he trailed, his eyes looking over the three of them.

“And Stiles,” Stiles said, looking at Scott with a scowl.

“I’m not sure what Michael told you, but he’s with us,” Laura said with a fake smile, wrapping an arm around Stiles, who nodded awkwardly.

This couldn’t get any worse could it?

It could.

The car reeked of sex. Now to any human nose, it wouldn’t be easy to detect, but because of their senses it was blatantly obvious. Scott seemed a little flustered when he noticed their faces, and he definitely broke a few speed limits trying to reach the loft.

When they arrived, Michael was waiting outside, his arms crossed, Peter by his side.

But there was something different about them.

“Why hello my dear niece and nephews,” Peter smiled, and Laura was happy he had included Stiles in his welcoming, unlike Michael who had obviously not even expected the boy to come. He seemed surprise when he saw Stiles standing there, all grown up. “How has New York been?” He asked, but when he did, his eyes flashed red. Peter was an alpha.

Laura put herself in between Derek and Stiles and Peter, growling right back, almost challengingly.

“Now, now, is that any way to greet your uncle? I’m hurt,” he said, and Laura looked him up and down. He had changed a lot, there was more confidence in his step and he had cut his hair much shorter. Her gaze then traveled to Michael who was almost a spitting image of Peter, icy blue eyes and all. He was not the same eighteen-year-old boy they had left behind six years ago. He had changed, and it was obvious even by his posture.

“How did you become an alpha?” Derek growled, stepping forward as well. Scott seemed flustered from where he was standing, this obviously had not been what he was expecting in a family reunion. Michael seemed angered at their advances and bared his teeth back. Just from looking at him, he could tell they were a strong pack. There must be other betas.

“An alpha decided since I was hospitalized and weak he could easily take my son and me out. He was wrong,” Peter said with a smile that sent chills down Laura’s spine. This wasn’t Uncle Peter, this was Peter the Alpha. And she didn’t like it. “Now follow me, you can meet the pack and learn why you are here.”

They began to walk in, and Laura was surprised when Stiles grabbed Derek’s hand, holding it tight in his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, Peter's an alpha! Stay tuned to hear the story of what he's been up to since he woke up. Next chapter should be up tomorrow! (Also, I'm not sure if I should change the tags to avoid spoilers, but I'm going to leave them for now).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Pack isn’t always blood related family, like your pack, but pack is family,” Derek said, and Scott cocked his head to the side and Stiles rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again not edited, but hey, it's from Derek's POV plus the romance finally begins to brew!

“Every day is one more inch   
Of a slow blade sinking in  
Vision fading, suffocating  
Inside my own skin  
And I’m fighting a stranger in my eyes  
And I know that only one of us will survive”

They were walking into the loft when Derek felt the warm hand wrap into his grip, tight and bone crunching in almost a desperate attempt for comfort. Derek looked to the side to see Stile’s tentative brown eyes meeting his own, wide, and he knew their thoughts were the same. This isn’t the same Peter and Michael we left behind. Michael was tentative and was always one stride behind his father, something Derek had never seen him do before. Michael had never been one to submit to anyone, barely even Talia.

There was something broken in Beacon Hills and suddenly Derek felt guilty for ever leaving it. He had left his entire family, he had even left Stiles and Laura behind in New York. The guilt sat like a rock among everything else he kept bottled inside, and he squeezed Stiles’ hand momentarily. He could practically feel the anxiety coming off of the boy in waves, and he knew Stiles was afraid of whatever they were going to find out. He was afraid of meeting another pack, and afraid of coming face to face with the boy he had once looked up to. His cousin, Derek thought, but he doesn’t think like that because I told him otherwise, the guilty thought snuck by, piling itself among others.

“Welcome to our lovely abode,” Peter said with a certain note of sarcasm, “This is Scott, you’ve already met him though,” Peter pointed out the boy with the dark hair and square jaw, and Derek took more time to evaluate him. He stood with an awkward stance, holding his arms behind his back and hopping from one foot to the other. It reminded him slightly of Stiles, but he pushed the thought away instantly, knowing the boy was still mad at him. And he had the right, and Derek had no idea how he was going to make up the fact that he ran like a coward when everything got hard.

“This here is Erica. She may be the only lovely lady here, but she will not hesitate to kill you,” Michael said, pointing to the blonde girl who scowled when he met her gaze. She was pretty, but it was obvious to Derek that she hid behind all that dark make-up, push-up bra, and the leather mini skirt for a reason that had probably lead to her wanting to the bite. She was also young, as young as Stiles and Derek wanting to yell at his uncle and demand to know why he was biting teenagers of all people. “And this here is Boyd, he’s as scary as he looks,” Michael continued, pointing to the dark skinned boy standing next to Erica. He was tall and built well, but young as well, and Derek wondered why someone like that would seek out the bite. Illness? It definitely wasn’t strength in this boy’s case. “Last but not, this is Isaac,” Michael finished, his eyes landing on the beta with the curly blonde hair whose eyes were focused away from them. He was scared, Derek didn’t need to scent it, he could see it in the boy’s body language. He was shy, and Derek suspected something bad had lead him to the bite. 

“Michael handpicked them all for me…well except for Scott,” Peter added, “They may seem young, but with the proper training they’ll be fierce as any born wolf.”

It was then Derek realized there had never been any bitten wolves in his family. Both his parents had been born, and same with Matthew and Peter, whose wives were both human. They had both turned down the bite, but there had been discussion of turning Brett and Blake when they reached eighteen. Which will never happen, Derek’s mind added harshly, and he pushed the thoughts away.

“They’re children,” Laura said, her eyes sweeping over them, and Derek didn’t miss Erica’s glare at the statement.

“And they needed me,” Peter said, “The bite gave them a better life.”

“Did you tell them all of the conditions?” Stiles snapped, and Derek was surprised to hear the boy speak. Their hands were still locked and Derek realized Michael had been eyeing them ever since they had walked in the door. He slowly released the grip, looking at Stiles as he did so. The boy didn’t seem to react, his gaze fixed on Peter.

“Of course boy, I’m not that deceiving, they knew exactly what they were getting into,” Peter dismissed the topic. Derek noticed just by looking at the them that this pack was different than the one he had grown up in. The pack bonds were uneven and didn’t span between every member like their family had. It seemed Erica and Boyd had gravitated towards each other, which Scott stood close to Isaac and Michael mirrored his father. Michael hadn’t lost every aspect of her personality, but there was something off of him. He had lost the spark in his eyes he had had when Derek had known him. And everything about Peter was downright wrong. This wasn’t the Uncle Peter he remembered. Peter had never wanted to be an alpha, he had joked many times why he hadn’t accepted the position as the oldest child. Instead Talia had, and Peter had given it up to marry Marie, the human he had fallen in love with. As much as he had stated that he couldn’t stand humans, Marie had been different. And eventually the amount of humans in the family grew, and Peter had accepted Blake and Brett when they were born, but now they were dead and Peter was a shell of what he had once been.

The awkward tension gripped the room for a few more moments before Derek finally spoke for the first time since they had gotten in.

“What happened? Obviously you called us here for a reason, so what is it?” He asked, and instantly Michael’s face went from stoic to begrudging. He looked like he absolutely despised what was about to come.

“Well…” Peter began, “It all started when the alpha tried to kill me. I had just woken up, and was barely functioning. A rogue alpha decided he would kill me to leech my power, but I bested him,” Peter said with a smile that sent shivers down Derek’s spine. He felt the heat of Stiles gravitating towards him. “I was able to start up the healing process faster, but I wasn’t…in the right mind,” he said, and Scott snorted. Michael turned to glare at him, while Peter just rolled his eyes, “The new wolf inside of me wanted pack, and Michael wasn’t enough. Scott here decided roaming the woods in the middle of the night was a good idea, and you can see how that ended. But I still wasn’t healed,” Peter said, and Derek knew he was trying to draw the sympathy card. What had he done that was so bad? Derek felt as though he barely knew his family anymore. “I went after the arsonists,” Peter said finally, and Derek heard Laura inhale quickly.

“Peter…” she said tentatively, but Derek could see Peter felt no remorse for what he had done.

“And I ripped that bitch Kate Argent’s throat out,” he said, and Derek felt his heart sink in his chest. Scott looked uncomfortable as he shifted around, and the other betas had fled the scene. The silence filled the room, heavy with tension and unresolved arguments. Derek could see Michael twitching in his skin from beside his father. “So Michael killed me,” he said, and Scott had looked away. Derek’s gaze landed on Michael and his cousin couldn’t even meet his gaze.

“Um, Uncle Peter, I hate to point it out but you’re kinda standing right here,” Stiles said pointed, his sarcasm coming through. Derek knew it was his defense when things really started to get by. Stiles had always used his words as weapons, Derek knew that, and he clung to it.

“Yes, well a very lovely lady named Lydia Martin was a big help in that, and well, when I raised from the grave, the power was ripped from Michael. His three betas, became my betas,” Peter said, and Derek saw Michael sigh heavy. He was so damaged, Derek could only imagine what it would be like to status ripped from you like that, especially from his father after he had killed him in an attempt to stop the violence. Michael had only wanted the good, and obviously, it hadn’t went as planned.

Once again the room fell into silence, and Derek focused on all of the heartbeats, noting how Peter’s was uneven and stuttering like that of a sick human’s. He was not at full strength, and suddenly it was blatantly obvious that despite being an alpha he wasn’t strong.

“So why are we here?” Laura cut into the conversation again, “It seems you have a nice pack built here,” she said, and Derek noted an icy tone accompanying her words. He knew she had expected a call when Peter had woken up, and it was obvious a lot had happened. Not only was Peter an alpha, but he had died and come back to life, and Michael had been an alpha as well. Michael had bitten three teenagers and tried to build a pack of his own when he had family waiting for him. He had probably been afraid of Laura’s alpha status, and afraid of how they would react to what he had done. It had probably all happened so fast, and Derek couldn’t blame him for keeping to himself. Derek had done the same thing, except no one was getting resurrected after his mistakes.

“The Alpha Pack,” Peter said, and Derek felt his blood run cold at the mention of the pack he had been hearing whispers about for years. “They are here, and they want me to join them. They are unaware of my weakened state, and if they find out, they will certainly just kill me and my entire pack,” Peter said, and Derek shook his head.

“So you called Laura here? Of all people! Peter she’s an alpha, they’re going to be gunning for her too, which means they will kill us too!” Derek exclaimed, the anger boiling in his veins. There was so much information to take in, and ‘Kate Argent is dead’ was one of those things, and the thought was swimming around with the others violently, driving him halfway insane. For some reason, he didn’t feel any comfort knowing she was six feet under.

The door opening to the loft interrupting anymore arguing, and the scent of the people entering had Derek bristling. He saw Stiles going still beside him, and he knew he smelled it too; wolfsbane. Strong and pungent in the air. Of all people, Chris Argent stepped casually into the building and that was it before Derek was roaring, charging right for the man. He was red hot with rage, feeling it bubbling over and he struggled vainly to reach the man, clawing out, his vision going red with pure instinct.

“Derek godamnit stop it!” Laura’s voice brought him back to reality and he realized he was pinned under Michael’s strong form, Stiles right beside him being held down by Laura. They were both fully shifted and Derek realized that as soon as Stiles had lost it, he had too.

“Good to know nothing has changed between you disgustingly co-dependent puppies,” Peter scoffed, and turned towards the hunter who was standing there, surprised, but not scared. A girl was standing behind him and her determined gaze reminded him too much of Kate’s. “This is Chris, and his daughter Allison, both who were unaffected by the snarling werewolves which had just launched themselves at them because they are, believe it or not, allies. Michael’s idea, not mine, but apparently Chris has retired from slaughtering our kin when he realized what his horrid family had done,” Peter said, crossing his arms and nodding towards Michael who let Derek slowly to his feet, putting his body in between him and the Argents. Stiles stayed shifted, his eyes glowing a cold gold color, polar opposite of Derek’s light blue eyes which had a story of their own behind them. And Derek couldn’t help but notice how Michael’s eyes still glowed gold even after killing his father.

After long discussion (more so argument from Derek’s end) Derek and Stiles were able to sit in the same room as the Argents without completely freaking out though they stayed as far away as possible. Once they were all seated, they got the joys of hearing the whole story. Derek was glad he had never had to meet with Jackson character, who was long gone, or the Kanima he became at this Matt boy’s will. Killing the entire police force seemed a little extreme when it came to revenge for almost drowning. Peter’s exact words had been; “Well I guess some people are more vengeful than others. It is not like I was alive to tell Michael not to bite the foolish boy.” Michael had looked down at this comment, obviously wanting to crawl inside his own skin.

“Derek, can I talk to you and Stiles outside?” Laura finally asked, and Derek wasn’t surprised to see her treating them like pack and not the small family they had been accustomed to being. It was a form of intimidating in front of these unknown people, and Derek would have done the same.

Derek nodded, and quickly herded Stiles out of the building that was beginning to feel cramped with the presence of two hunters in the room. Peter couldn’t expect Derek to get over what had happened, and it didn’t help knowing that Kate was Chris’ brother. She may be dead, but her memories were alive as ever and were taunting Derek in the back of his mind.

“I don’t trust them,” Stiles and Derek said at the same time as soon as they were out of ear shot, and then glanced at each other. Stiles gave him a small smile- which was a lot more than he had been getting in the past few days.

“Me neither, but Michael and Peter are family and those bitten betas are about as harmful as flies. They are barely trained, it is obvious and that’s why Peter wanted us. He’s afraid of the alpha pack and he wanted more strong pack members on his side. Our bond to them runs much deeper than the rag tag group Michael pulled together while Peter was temporarily in the grave. The only beta that belongs to Peter is Scott, which doesn’t give him much real power and he’s not in full strength,” Laura explained her reasoning, and Derek nodded, looking over to Stiles.

“What? You want my opinion? Isn’t this family business?” He asked, his tone slightly chilly. Derek wanted to sigh heavily, why was the boy so hot and cold with him? Then again Stiles personality had been pretty firey- they had known that from the moment he glued his classmate’s hands to their desks and got kicked out of second grade for cursing his teacher out.

“You’re family Stiles!” Derek argued, “What I said doesn’t matter anymore I was upset and never meant it. Even Peter sees you as family,” Derek said, trying to keep his tone calm and collected. He wanted to yell in Stiles face that he was wanted, but obviously, that wouldn’t go so well, would it?

“Well obviously, you two have some stuff to talk about, I better go back up before Peter convinces everyone we bailed on them,” Laura said, rushing back towards the building before Derek could demand an explanation.

Derek looked back at Stiles, who was staring at him with his wide brown eyes, and Derek could tell he was more relaxed now that Laura had fled the scene.

“Do you mean it?” Stiles finally asked, and Derek wanted to curse at how innocent he sounded. Derek had been shocked to come home last Christmas to find the Stiles waiting for him a completely different boy. He had grown out his hair and started dressing more mature and it made Derek crazy. It couldn’t be possible in any way shape or form that he found him attractive because no they had shared a room for five years and that would be wrong. It wasn’t like Stiles was his adopted brother or anything, but he still couldn’t help but feel guilty for every extra second he spent admiring the boy.

“Yes,” Derek said, and his heart didn’t miss a beat, beating fast, but steady in his chest, “You’re family, you always have been,” Derek said, and Derek refrained from calling Stiles’ his brother because that would just make everything weird. Even when their family had been around, Stiles had never wanted to be referred to as more than just a family friend, and that was how Derek had grown to see him. And he didn’t want to have to carry that guilt around with him.

Stiles smiled wide and before Derek could stop him, Stiles was engulfing him in a massive bear hug, and burying his face in his neck.

“I thought you guys were brothers!” A voice cut their moment short, and Derek practically flinched away from Stiles.

“Not technically, the Hale family never adopted me formally,” Stiles said before Derek managed to flounder out an excuse.

“You’re not relating to them?” The beta, Scott Derek remembered, pushed, and Derek wondered if he had ever even met any other werewolves.

“Pack isn’t always blood related family, like your pack, but pack is family,” Derek said, and Scott cocked his head to the side and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“My parents died when I was young and the Hales took me in so there wasn’t a rogue werewolf child running around the system,” Stiles added finally, and Derek was surprised at how easily he opened up his past to this beta he may have met once when he was in fifth grade if he even remembered any of that. Then the thought struck Derek; would Talia have taken in Stiles if he hadn’t been bitten? The answer instantly struck Derek as yes because they already had two human children, and a werewolf have been the cause of what had happened. His mother had probably felt responsible for what had happened.

“We would have taken you in even if you weren’t a werewolf,” Derek interjected, and Stiles sent him a quizzical glance. Before he could argue, Michael burst out of the building, looking right at them.

“They’re coming! They’re coming right now!” He shouted, and Derek’s gaze snapped over to his, “The Alpha Pack is coming, they know Laura is here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the filler chapter, but eh, it ends in a cliffhanger plus the next chapter is gonna get the Sterek train going


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stiles, no…I love you…no,” Derek whispered, his hand coming to rest on Stiles’ limp one, cold to the touch. He never should have left him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proof read...again, and I'm kinda mad at how much I ramble and get off topic in this chapter lol. Its literally ADHD while writing because my thoughts just go everywhere, sorry :)

You know you cannot say that I didn't warn you  
Oh ice can burn as much as flames do  
Your heart flows cold, turning ice  
In time you will realize a sound  
The silence is all that you hear  
When your tears are falling like snow

“How would they know Laura is here?” Derek growled, and Stiles’ gaze landed on the man whose body language was all tensed up again. Whatever moment they had, it was over, and Stiles longed to be able to finish their conversation for once without murderous uncles or alpha packs getting in the way.

“Peter suspects they tracked our phone calls, I uh- should have been more careful,” Michael said, his gaze falling to the ground. Before Derek could open his mouth to say anything, Stiles cut him off.

“It’s not your fault Michael, you couldn’t have known,” Stiles reassured him, noticing how beat down he looked. Stiles tried to imagine Michael being an alpha and the kind of wolf he would have been then. He would have made a good alpha, but Stiles was unsure of Peter- not after he went on the killing spree, out of his mind or not. And, he also couldn’t imagine who would want to rip a status away from their own son as painfully as Peter had and being able to live comfortably with it. Stiles knew what it was like to lose pack, but he couldn’t imagine having his power ripped from him too.

“What are we going to do?” Derek demanded, and Michael looked unsure of what to say.

“Run!” Stiles exclaimed at the same time Michael said, “Fight!” They exchanged a glance and Stiles shook his head, “No, just no! Michael are you crazy! These are the stories we used to hear when we were young, we have no idea what the alpha pack is really like. Remember they’re the ones who killed all of their betas, and that is what they’re going to want Peter to do! How hard do you think it will be for someone as far gone as him to kill a few high school teenagers you turned?” Stiles yelled, and Michael took a step back from him, shocked at his words. Last time he had seen Stiles, the boy had only been ten years old and a lot had changed since then. “If you haven’t noticed, you killed him!”

“He’s my father!” Michael cried back, and Stiles felt his harsh words brewing inside of him because he had never known the feeling of a father, but he held back. Michael had lost what he had as well.

“He’s a killer now, and just because you’re his beta, doesn’t mean you’re his family anymore. He wanted power Michael, did you hear how he talked about Kate?” Stiles asked, watching as Derek flinched even at the mention of the hunter’s name. Stiles figured he would ask about that later, but his attention was on Michael whose look of complete desperation made Stiles want to stop, but he needed the beta on his side, in Laura’s pack, not whatever corrupted pack Peter had formed. Stiles tried to ignore the thought of how they’d be a real pack if Michael joined them- three betas and an alpha, the smallest possible pack, but still a real pack. He longed to have that feeling back, and was almost envious of the betas here who had it.

“We have more pack members than them. There is only five of them,” Michael countered.

“Did I mention how they killed their entire packs? On their own? Each kill makes them stronger!” Stiles yelled back, and felt Derek’s hand rest on his shoulder when his teeth began to grown and his nails elongated in anger as he frantically attempted to get Michael on the same page as them. It was a mess, Stiles knew it was. Laura probably trusted Peter already, because he was family, but there was just something off about him that Stiles couldn’t figure out. He was not the same Peter who cooked pancakes with his wife every Saturday and taught Stiles Latin whenever he had the chance. He was different, and even his tone of voice showed that.

“The twins did it together,” Michael muttered, but Stiles took it as defeat.

“Get Laura, we need to get her somewhere they can’t fight her, neither her nor Peter are at full strength. Peter had the betas, but he’s sick, and Laura doesn’t have a proper pack, we’re practically omegas,” Stiles instructed Derek, and the two took off together, leaving Michael standing there with his mouth hanging open. He had been beaten by a sixteen-year-old but Stiles did not get the chance to gloat because the danger was too near.

Peter argued when they tried to whisk Laura away, but there was no talking Stiles down from his rage. Even Derek was surprised at how ferocious his words were; when one of Peter’s betas got too close, he would growl and he was putting himself between Laura and Peter. Derek did the same, but resisted wolfing out like Stiles because he wasn’t sure how well he could keep control, not when Stiles was already losing his own.

“Michael, there is nothing we can do, the co-dependent bunnies are going to drag their sister away whether we like it or not, we may as well get ready to fight them on our own,” Peter said slyly, and Stiles noted the attempt at reverse cycology he was trying to pull. It didn’t work because Stiles didn’t feel a need to protect any of these people, he didn’t know them- not even Michael. He had spent more years away in New York than he had living in the Hale house now, and that was where his loyalties lied. He just hoped Derek felt the same way because the only way they could keep Laura safe was if they stuck together.

Peter’s- well Michael’s- betas watched them leave with wide eyes and Stiles wanted to smile at their fear because yes, they should be scared and they shouldn’t come after them.

Michael called them the next day when they were in their hotel room mulling around, trying not to think of inevitable fighting while Laura filled out forms to get Stiles into the local high school.

“They took Boyd and Erica,” he said curtly, and Stiles could hear the strain in his voice. He blamed them, but Stiles knew the only one they should blame is Peter, who made them stay and fight when they could have ran. “They said we give them Laura, or they die, as well as the rest of ‘her useless band of mutts’ as they put it themselves. They know Peter is weak, and now that there’s a stronger alpha, they want her instead,” Michael explained, and Stiles’ blood ran cold.

“Peter wanted Laura to come here because he knew she’d become the new target,” Stiles blurted without thinking, and both pairs of eyes snapped to his, and he could hear Michael’s inhalation of air on the other line.

No one spoke to defend Peter, not even Michael. He just hung up the phone, and Laura sighed, tossing it to the side.

“He’s different,” she sighed, putting her face in her hands, “I don’t know what I expected to be waiting for us when we got here. For years, Michael had no one and now he’s grown co-dependent Peter. I don’t think it’s exactly healthy at all, he follows his father blindly and just imagine the trouble the two could cause,” Laura concluded, leaning back on her bed and looking up at the ceiling.

None of them spoke about the missing betas, and none of them knew where the blame laid.

“Are you really going to make me go to school tomorrow?” Stiles questioned as they all laid into bed, Laura by herself while Derek shared with Stiles. It was like an unspoken agreement that Stiles would never force the real siblings to share a bed so he didn’t argue. Anyways, he didn’t really mind, and he preferred it better than Derek getting his own room and being far away.

“Yes, of course,” Derek’s gruff voice answered for his sister.

“I don’t have any supplies!” Stiles argued, and Derek hit him over the head lightly, turning over so he was facing the whining boy who was laying on his back, his arms swinging violently as he spoke.

“I packed your bookbag, remember? Its only temporary, anyways, you can put everyone on the cross country team to shame,” Derek said, and Laura giggled.

“You could probably outrun all those rag tag bitten wolves any day,” she added, but no one laughed, and Stiles tried to ignore the fact that two of them were gone, and it was partially their fault.

~*~

Stiles wouldn’t admit it, but he sort of liked this school- more than his last one at least because no one knew him. They all knew the Hales, but no one knew the Stilinski’s. No one remembered that his family was killed, no one knew he had violent PTSD, and there was no annoying guidance counselor he was forced to speak with.

He was even more surprised when Peter’s beta were still kind him despite the other day’s events.

“It wasn’t your fault, you warned Peter and he didn’t listen,” Scott had reassured Stiles, throwing his arm around Stile’s shoulder. Isaac simply snorted. “And we stick together. I couldn’t imagine having to face this alone.”

Of course, Scott hadn’t just been doing it to be nice- two of the alphas were in school with them, and they were better off staying together to outnumber them, though their strength would make up that of two alpha’s.

The twins; Ethan and Aiden seemed less dangerous than the others. Maybe it was their baby faces or how they were basically glued together. Peter thought he and Derek were codependent, these two literally molded together to create their alpha wolf form.

He also noticed how Ethan locked onto some Hawaiian looking boy who smelled so strongly of aftershave it made Stiles’ nose crinkle while Aiden went after the strawberry blonde girl who supposedly was Lydia. No one really knew what Lydia was, she had been bitten by an alpha werewolf and poisoned by a Kanima yet she remained human (all except the fact she seemed to find dead bodies unconsciously…so maybe not so human Stiles noted).

At lunch, she sat with them as well as Allison, who Stiles couldn’t help but bristle in the presence of. Apparently Scott and her were some off and on couple for years now, and she had been the first one to know he was a werewolf. Scott didn’t have a best friend, but it seemed as though he and Isaac were close. Isaac lived with Scott as Stiles had figured out by the way their scents lingered on each other as well as the laundry detergent used on their clothes was the same. The shirt Isaac was wearing currently must have been Scott’s because it smelled more of him than the werewolf who was wearing it, but those were all questions he could as later when the twins of death weren’t lingering a table away.

“So, I’m joining cross country, is anyone else on the team?” Stiles asked curiously, trying to start conversations that he could contribute to.

“Me and Isaac are on the team,” Scott said, “Coach forces us to keep in shape for Lacrosse.”

“Isaac and I,” Lydia’s small comment did not go unnoticed before Stiles began speaking again.

“Yeah, that’s cool, I was never into lacrosse but it seems cool. Derek tried to make me play basketball but even with the enhanced senses and all it just wasn’t my thing,” Stiles said with a chuckle.

“You smell more like Derek than your alpha,” Isaac pointed out, and Stiles’ gaze shot to him. Scott punched him in the arm hard enough to knock over a human, but the statement was already out there. Stiles felt the redness spread across his cheeks and he stumbled to recover himself from the embarrassment.

“We aren’t really a pack. I don’t even really see Laura as my alpha sometimes. Anyways, you smell more like Scott than Peter, did you not realize wearing his shirt would mix your scents?” Stiles asked, and by the way Isaac seemed surprise at his statement, he hadn’t. Michael had only bit them a year ago, so their senses weren’t exactly as honed as Stiles, and was used to detecting things like that after all of Talia’s training he had went through.

“What?” Scott and Isaac said at the same time.

“You live together, I can tell,” Stiles said, holding back a smirk.

“How did you know?” Scott asked, more interested rather than flustered like Isaac.

“Your scents are mixed more than any of the other betas. In my old pack, we all smelled like that because were bonded and lived together. Your pack isn’t bonded with each other, other than you and Isaac,” Stiles said, feeling his ego inflate as Allison and Lydia listened with interest. “When you spend a lot of time with someone, your scents mix. If you looked a little closer, me and Laura are actually more bonded than Derek and me since he has been in college and I spent more time with her,” Stiles added, ignoring the part where they didn’t talk for years. They didn’t need to know that, Derek and him were fine now, right? “Bonds like that make you stronger, those are more real than whatever you guys have with Peter,” Stiles said, biting back making a comment on how Scott would make a good alpha. It just sort of felt right.

The rest of the day passed easier with no sight of the twins and Peter’s pack finally warming up to him as well as the two human girls.

“You know, you’re different than them, aren’t you. You’re not quite like Scott, but you’re not like Michael either,” Allison had noted when in chemistry when she had sat down next to him. She didn’t say it, but Erica had been her lab partner so Stiles refrained from protesting.

“I am bitten like them, but it was when I was young,” Stiles explained, and she nodded.

“What happened to your family?” She asked, then her eyes widened when she had realized what she had said. Stiles mulled over what to say when she spoke again, “If it makes you feel any better, I lost my mother last year. Um, she was uh, bitten by Michael when he was an alpha,” Allison said.

“And the bite didn’t take?” He asked. It had happened before, the most prominent time in his mind was when it had happened to Derek’s girlfriend, but that was unspoken about in their family for many years. It was the cause of his blue eyes and a large part of his personality of trusting no one and never letting anyone in.

“Um, no, she took her own life,” Allison, shivering as if she were reliving the memory, and then Stiles remembered. They were hunters, and hunters didn’t allow themselves to turn.

“I’m sorry,” Stiles said, “The alpha killed my parents when he bit me. He was trying to start a pack he could literally raise to be whatever he wanted,” Stiles explained, and Allison shuddered. Those were the werewolves people should be going after, yet there they were, burning innocent people alive in their family homes. If Kate hadn’t locked the basement door then they may have made it out. It had taken Michael a long time to break the lock and by the time he had made it downstairs, the only people he could reach were Laura and Peter who was clinging to Sophie for dear life. He had used his body to protect the baby girl with all his might, and he had still lost her. Stiles still remembers making his way down those stairs and seeing the flames licking the walls and the screams and cries of those trapped inside.

Stiles didn’t realize he was having a panic attack until he was on the floor and couldn’t breathe. Allison was crouched over him, as well as a group of people. So much for no one knowing, Stiles tried to think, but the rational thoughts were not exactly flowing through his mind. Instead he heard the screams of people being burned alive. The scent of their flesh met his nose and he screamed.

“Stiles, your eyes!” Allison’s voice broke through his fog and he realized his nails were digging into her pale flesh and suddenly he was reeling backwards, flinging himself across the floor away from her.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine,” he repeated his mantra over and over while the teacher tried to get the other students out of his way. Allison had controlled his shift enough that he was sure no one else had noticed it. He was going have to apologize later for the four pricks where his claws broke her skin.

“I accidentally brought up a sensitive subject, we were just talking, I didn’t do anything I swear,” he heard Allison saying and he realized that she was on the phone. The chemistry teacher was crouched beside her, and finally Stiles felt like the air could reach his lungs again.

“Derek, let me speak to Derek,” he said, holding out his hands for his phone. Allison tentatively handed it over.

“Stiles are you okay? Me and Laura are on our way over to pick you up now,” Derek said and Stiles cracked a small smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine Der, don’t worry about me,” Stiles said, not even noticing the nickname that slipped past his lips.

So much for not having to speak for a counselor Stiles figured. Now everyone here knew about his PTSD too, and it would have worried him a lot more if he didn’t still have the scent of singed flesh in his nose. It was a phantom smell obviously, but seemed just as real in the moments before.

He was forced to sit in the nurse’s office until Derek and Laura arrived. Laura was forced to meet with teachers, and suddenly everyone realized who they were. The Hales and their wayward foster brother, even the teachers who Stiles was sure would now constantly cast him sympathetic glances. Even some of the students seemed to notice more when he walked out with Derek’s arm wrapped securely around his shoulders. He couldn’t wait for all of the rumors to start.

That night Laura and Derek tried to take him out for dinner but he refused, too busy sulking in humiliation to want to face public again.

“We’ll text you when we’re on our way back okay, we’re meeting with Michael and Peter to discuss things that should have been talked about early. I guess it’s better you stay home anyways because none of his puppies are coming,” Laura said with a small smile, ruffling the mess of hair atop Stiles’ head. He had always kept it cleanly shaven, but in the past few years had begun to let it go wild.

Stiles couldn’t fight back the small flash of pink that spread across his head when Derek carded his fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head but he played it off when he looked up with a big grin.

“Feel better, okay Stiles. Anyone spreads any rumors and I’ll rip their throats out,” he said, and Stiles couldn’t hold back his laugh, “With my teeth,” he added, flashing his fangs for only a few seconds.

“Yeah, growl for me big bad wolf,” Laura taunted, but she was happy too, Stiles could tell.

Once the door had closed Stiles sank back on the bed contentedly and pulled out his homework. Just because he was new didn’t mean they would exclude him from any assignments.

He was halfway through his Algebra sheet when he heard a small crash, like a glass breaking in the room next to them. Suddenly, he heard a crack like a bone being broken swiftly and quickly. He flinched, placing his papers down and looking up. He scented the air, but there was no blood or pain anywhere near. Maybe it had just been his mind, he thought, counting his breaths to calm his mind.

Of course, the scent of death hit him like a wave, and he could feel power crackling through the waves, stronger than he ever felt. More unnatural than any other supernatural force.

He stood, backing slowly towards the door, his eyes stuck on the window where he presumed the scent was coming from. The glass shattered and suddenly a pair of very clawed feet where flying into the room with a flash of red alpha eyes. His stomach dropped when he realized what was happening and he turned and tried to run to the door, instead running into the solid body of Ethan- or was it Aiden? He really couldn’t tell, nor did he really care.

“What do you want,” he growled, flashing his eyes though he knew their golden color wouldn’t be the slightest bit intimidating.

“Deucalion sent us on a little errand,” the woman smiled.

“Only two of you, I’m offended,” Stiles said with his usual level of sarcasm, sending her a toothy grin as if to show he wasn’t scared. He may be able to mask the fear coming off him in waves, but he knew both of the alphas could hear his stuttering heartbeat pounding in his chest.

“No, three,” a voice said, and the other twin entered through the window, body in hand, tossing it onto the bed with ease. Stiles let out a horrified scream when he pounced on it, beginning to rip it to shreds until the man’s face was barely recognizable and his body was in mangled shreds.

“Now give me your shirt and pants,” the woman said, and Stiles smirked.

“I don’t strip on the first date,” he said cockily, but instantly wanted to take it back when the twin who was behind him- Ethan he thinks- claws dug into his back, lifting him off of the ground. Stiles then had to face the humiliation of the woman stripping him off everything but his boxers, then dressed the mangled body with his clothes, making sure they were sufficiently covered in Stiles’ blood as well as the mans while he was given the sticky remains.

“I pass-“ he began, and soon, he couldn’t decide which was worse, being scratched and undressed by a lunatic alpha, or having Aiden dress him in a dead man’s bloody clothes.

“Now, your little pack will come back and think you’re dead. Maybe then will Laura realize that she has no choice other than to join us, or we really will rip into her dear brother. Now you, you’re bait for him,” Aiden said cockily as he bound Stiles arms and legs, finishing it off by wrapping duct tape around his mouth to block any snarky comments that may have escaped.

~*~

Derek could smell the blood as they pulled up to the hotel. It was pungent and its scent hit his nose in a coppery attack, bringing him to panic.

“Stiles!” He exclaimed, rushing into the hotel and past the elevator right up the practically unused stairwell, Laura on his tail. The smell grew stronger and stronger as they approached and Derek began to scent Stiles’ mixed panic along with it and the smell of alphas. It made his stomach twist and turn as he slammed the door open, feeling his heart drop into his throat when the sight met his eyes.

A body lay on Stiles’ bed where they had left him, ripped practically to shreds.

“Stiles…” Derek’s strangled cry left his lips barely understandable. Laura let out her own cry of anguish, rushing over to the bed and placing a tentatively hand on the body’s neck feeling for a pulse that had no chance of being there. Even a werewolf couldn’t come back from this.

Stiles red hoody he had been wearing was damaged, barely attached to his body, the telltale sign it was him and this wasn’t some cruel joke. Derek could barely get up the strength to move closer to the bed, all of the scents too strong and sending his mind into a blank panic.

“No Stiles, no!” Laura was crying loudly, her head on the edge of the bed. By now, people had been beginning to realize the commotion, and the police were called, but Derek could barely even notice they were there, all of his attention focused on the boy lying dead in front of him.

“Stiles, no…I love you…no,” Derek whispered, his hand coming to rest on Stiles’ limp one, cold to the touch. He never should have left him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What no *wipes tears* I'm not crying or anything. Our poor baby Derek thinks his Stiles is dead, will he come to rescue? I literally got so sad when he said "I love you" like damn I'm making myself sad typing this.
> 
> Also, there's gonna be plenty of Sterek lovin', drama, and fighting in the next chapter. The 'Major Character Death' tag was not for Stiles' fake death so buckle your seatbelts


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Laura would never kill me,” Stiles ground out, trying to keep his tone from showing the panic he felt. They were going to hurt her, and he had no way to warn her to stay out of the way. He knew she would come for him, she always had. This wasn’t something she’d put to the side no matter the damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys might hate me after this...
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the nice comments and support :) xx

Now you're mine  
But what do I do with you, boy  
I'll take your heart  
To kick around as a toy  
The danger is I'm dangerous  
And I might just tear you apart

The first thing Stiles felt when he awoke was an aching in his wrists. His eyes blinked open slowly, and he felt almost dizzy from the kick that had knocked him out. If he had been human, he certainly would have had a massive headache. Suddenly aware of his surroundings, his eyes darted around. He was in some sort of warehouse with tarps hanging all over. There was the fading smell of chemical and Stiles could detect the smallest hints of wolfsbane. The smell that reeked above all of the others was the scent of fear and the alphas, mixed together. Stiles shuddered, finally finding his voice. It was hard to breathe the way he was suspended in the air, each breath a painful constriction of his chest.

“Erica? Boyd?” He gasped out, straining his vision around.

“Stiles?!” The surprised voice of a girl met his ears which presumably was Erica. Hopefully.

“Yeah, I’m here, where are you guys?” Stiles asked back, struggling against his restraints to gaze around, but the white tarps were blocking his vision. He knew Erica’s voice came from the right side, but he couldn’t see her. Her voice never came to answer though, instead a small gasp and Stiles knew they were here. Or at least some of them were.

Five alphas came into his sight all at once, walking in formation like any other formal pack would. It struck Stiles as odd since they were all alphas- why weren’t they fighting for the position in front?

The alpha Stiles recognized as Deucalion lead the way, the woman who had helped kidnap him at his side. Next was a large man who put Derek’s muscular form to shame, and must have stood at least six foot five, lastly followed by the twins who he could never tell apart. He knew Deucalion because he had once been an allies Talia before he had gone bad after none other than Gerard Argent stabbed his eyes out, permanently blinding him. Once again with the Argents, messing everything up. After one of Deucalion’s betas challenged him and was killed, the alpha realized the power that was gained by killing and in his rage, murdered his entire pack. He didn’t stop there, but went on to have four more alphas do the same to form an unstoppable pack. For a while, Stiles never even believed the stories of the so-called ‘Alpha of Alphas’, but obviously, they weren’t stories.

“So, one of the last remaining Hales, I see, not even blood related, yet they for some reason pulled you out of those flames,” Deucalion began, and Stiles pulled at his restraints with a growl, barring his teeth- not that it fazed the alphas at all.

“Currently, they believe he is dead. We only have a short period of time before forensics discovers that the body isn’t Stiles and they come for us. Laura will come running for the lost pup once she figures it out, and then, she’s going to kill him for us,” the woman said with a smile, and Stiles had to refrain from rolling his eyes.

“Laura would never kill me,” Stiles ground out, trying to keep his tone from showing the panic he felt. They were going to hurt her, and he had no way to warn her to stay out of the way. He knew she would come for him, she always had. This wasn’t something she’d put to the side no matter the damage.

“That’s okay, she will in all due time,” Deucalion said, “And then she can kill your little friend there too, Derek. Aiden tells me he’s a wreck right now because he thinks his precious little Stiles is dead,” the alpha drawled out, running a clawed finger across Stiles clothed torso, causing Stiles to go ballistic against his restrains, teeth snapping and fingernails elongating as he lost control of his anger.

“They won’t want to be part of your pack, neither Peter or Laura!” Stiles snapped as the rage boiled over. Derek was upset over his ‘death’. He didn’t know why this hurt him so much, but he longed to be able to him he was okay and reassure him. He wanted to warn him it was a trap, and his heart physically ached when he was met with the restraints binding his arms.

None of the alphas responded to Stiles’ words, instead, turning around and walking back out.

“They will want to be, or else the blonde bitch dies, then her loyal boyfriend, and then you.”

~*~

As soon as he was out of the hotel room and in the hallways, Derek collapsed to the ground, leaning his weight against the wall and burying his face in his hands. He hadn’t cried like this since the fire, and it was the same heavy loss weighing down his heart all but again. Laura was beside him, trying to reassure him they would be all right, but her voice barely met his ringing ears. He was focused on the rushing blood in his ears and the erratic beating of his heart.

Laura called Peter’s pack and told them what happened. The betas were upset at the loss of their friend, and Michael- even Peter- felt the same grief as Laura over the loss of another family member. But no one felt it like Derek.

Michael promised on the phone they would all be there soon because the risk of what could happen if anyone was alone was too high. The alpha pack wasn’t toying with them anymore, and now they had taken a life, potentially three if Boyd and Erica were dead as well, but Michael insisted he would know if the betas he had bitten were dead. Because Laura hadn’t been the one to bite Stiles, and they weren’t blood related, she couldn’t do the same no matter how strong their bond was. A bitten beta is connected to their alpha, and family is connected to each other, but technically Stiles was neither.

“We will get revenge for this,” Peter growled as he had come across the hotel room which had now been declared a crime scene. His voice had been serious and there hadn’t been a tick in his heart, not even for a moment did Derek doubt he wasn’t serious and for a moment it was his Uncle Peter standing in front of him again. The Peter who had spent his free time holed up in the Hale house’s library for hours, and had taken out with the rest of his family when he and Marie took their kids to dinner, the Peter who had truly respected Stiles as family. “Stiles was family,” he said, and even his betas seemed surprised at the small wave of emotion that actually passed through Peter’s cocky façade of sarcasm and anger. The injured alpha’s words were probably more sincere now than they had been in a long time. Derek wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about that.

When they carried the body out, he hid his face in hands, not even caring at this point if Peter’s pack saw him cry. Isaac and Scott looked pretty upset themselves, and Michael was hanging behind them, his gaze fixed on the bloody remains. The scent of grief that filled the hallway was chokingly strong, suffocating Derek from where he sat.

“C’mon, we have to get back to the loft, it isn’t safe here. I gave the police my statement and they are taking the…uh…remains to be identified,” she said, her tone dull and lifeless, but she was trying for Derek’s sake, he could tell. She was treating him like her little brother, comforting him like she had when they were little, like when she had after the fire on those sleepless nights where the three of them had just curled up and held each other for comfort. But even her reassuring words wouldn’t fill the void that had torn through Derek’s heart.

Derek stood slowly on shaky legs and walked out of the hotel with Laura on one side of him, and Michael on the other.

Back at the loft, Peter sent Isaac and Scott to get spare beds ready for Derek, Laura, and themselves, not that any of them would be sleeping.

“I will keep watch first, and then I’ll wake Michael, and he will wake up Scott, and so one,” Peter explained to them, “The only rule is don’t fall asleep on watch,” Peter explained with a snarl, and Scott and Isaac nodded, going over to their corner where they had set up an air mattress with pillows and blankets for themselves. Laura got the couch, while he took the remaining air mattress right beside her. The night passed slowly, and Derek knew he needed to sleep eventually to get back up his strength. Scott and Isaac fell asleep first, but Derek had caught the scent of the two betas’ tears not long before they drifted off. Next was Michael, and eventually Laura, and soon, Peter’s watch was over and he waking his son right back up. He could feel Peter’s stare on him as he disappeared upstairs and Michael took his place, standing stoic as his father had.

Peter wasn’t very old, and had barely been out of high school when he had gotten married and had Michael, and despite being the youngest of his mother’s family, had the oldest child. Peter hadn’t exactly been a family man, or a fan of children, which is why it surprised Derek when he had more children than his siblings. Derek still remembered when the twins were born, only a month after Cora. He even remembered when Peter had walked in the door with Brett in his arms while Marie carried Blake. He remembered how their scents were different from the other children’s, and how Peter had explained to them how Brett and Blake were human like Marie. Derek had always expected Mathew, Peter’s brother, to have more children than just Lila, and he probably would have if he had still been alive. 

Derek remembered the day Stiles came to them, bloodied and in his mother’s arms as she rushed in.

“Oh my gosh!” Marie had yelled, covering Michael’s eyes. But no one had been there to cover Derek’s eyes.

Stiles body had been limp, but he had known the young child was not dead because of his beating heart. He could also smell the bite on Stiles, and had been confused because no one ever bit someone that young right? Certainly it hadn’t been his mother.

“We had a run in with the rogue alpha, he is dead now,” Peter had said to his wife, and Derek’s eyes had went to the blood on all the betas’ hands, “Talia took care of it.”

“Who bit the boy?” Derek asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. If the boy had been dying, maybe it was the only way to save him, but he didn’t see any other injuries on him.

“The rogue,” Peter had sighed.

Derek shook the memory away because all it did was remind him Stiles bloodied and laying limp, his body in shreds after his run in with the alpha pack. The image circulated his mind for a few more moments before he couldn’t take it. He jumped out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom, emptying the scarce contents of his stomach.

Michael was by his side a few moments later, a tentative hand placed on his back.

“Are you okay?” Silence. “Derek?” Michael didn’t push when Derek didn’t respond, his head limply rested on his arms where he had pushed himself a foot away from the toilet.

He waited until Michael had padded away before cleaning himself up. Derek leaned his weight on the sink, his hands gripping the sides tight as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Sad eyes met his own, and he couldn’t help but remember the last time this had happened. The fire had been the last thing to drive him through this much grief, and yet, even that he had able to pick himself up from. So why did this feel so wrong? He sighed, slowly walking back into the loft. Scott and Isaac were still sound asleep on their air mattress, but Laura was now sitting up, her sad gaze meeting Derek’s.

“I wish I could have said more,” Derek admitted, and Laura didn’t question the meaning behind his words. He wished he could have told Stiles the truth, every last bit. He wished he had told him about Kate, about Paige, about everything that had ever went wrong, but he hadn’t. He wished he had told him he loved him. But he hadn’t, and Stiles probably had died thinking Derek resented him. The thought made his insides twist painfully, but he had already put his normal expressionless face back on.

By the time the other betas and Peter were up, no one would have known anything was wrong. But so much was wrong.

Breakfast was silent, and Derek didn’t participate, instead sitting alone by himself by the large window. The view wasn’t anything special, just a parking lot, a few more small abandoned buildings, and the edges of the Beacon Hills preserve that had once been Hale property- rather territory.

The small alarm flashing by the door caught Derek’s attention, and his gaze snapped back to the glowing red light. Michael had stood from where he was sitting, as well as Peter who was already angrily storming towards the door. Scott and Isaac hung back with a confused Laura, and then Derek scented it. The alphas.

Derek growled, instantly losing control of his rage. Everything that had kept him anchored all these years was now gone, and Derek didn’t want to admit it, but Stiles had kept him anchored, even when they apart from each other the idea that the boy was safe was all he had to know. And now he wasn’t.

He launched himself at the alphas before even Peter had with a feral growl, ripping into the closest possible flesh which turned out to be Deucalion himself, wo swiped Derek away with ease, causing him to go crashing into the wall.

“I see the puppy is still upset about his playmate,” Deucalion said with a smile, “Don’t you see, you will keep dying if you don’t just give in!”

“Fuck you,” Peter drawled out, shifting as well, but his shift when past the normal beta form to a beast Derek had never seen an alpha shift to before. It was a horrible cross between a wolf and a human that stood as tall as the twins combined form. He had dark mangled fur and a long snout which protruded long fangs. He let out growl more animal than human, and then all of his betas shifted to join him.

Derek launched himself in again, this time going after the woman, whose name he had discovered was Kali. She was Deucalion’s second, and the second alpha to join the pack. She was almost as powerful, but not as much.

“He begged me to stop,” Kali snarled as Derek made desperate swipes at her, sometimes scoring a deep gash that would instantly heal, or barely brush her skin. “He begged me not to kill him,” she spat, and Derek roared, launching himself with even more rage than before.

They toppled over together, and this distracted Kali just long enough for Laura to dig her claws deep into the other alpha’s throat, ripping it out with one slash. Blood flowed freely from the wound, and the entire room went silent as Kali’s body slumped to the ground, her heart giving one last putter before settling still in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops? Lol don't worry the next chapter is way better, and we get a happy ending!...kinda...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You stupid little mutt,” Deucalion growled as he entered the area where Stiles was tethered. His wounds had just healed from the last time they had thrown him around, and he flinched when he saw the angry alpha rushing towards him. “Your bitch killed one of us,” he growled, “What’s so special about a useless bitten wolf like you?” He sneered, and Stiles growled.
> 
> “They’re my family. Pack is family, and they think you killed not just pack, but family. This pack is just a bunch of power high alphas, you aren’t a real pack. I bet you didn’t even feel her death,” Stiles yelled back, biting back more harsh words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your kinda happy ending! Because I had to break you heart at least one time before I let Stiles and Derek be happy, also like always there's going to be tons of mistakes because I literally suck at proof reading

Chapter Six –

Lord knows I failed you time and again  
But you and me are alright  
We won't say our goodbyes  
You know it's better that way  
We won't break, we won't die  
It's just a moment of change

The alphas came storming into the warehouse all at once, and Stiles could smell the anger wafting off them. Something was wrong though, he could tell instantly. There were only four heartbeats instead of five. Maybe the twins were still conjoined, but for some reason that didn’t seem to be the case.

The woman, Kali, was missing.

“You stupid little mutt,” Deucalion growled as he entered the area where Stiles was tethered. His wounds had just healed from the last time they had thrown him around, and he flinched when he saw the angry alpha rushing towards him. “Your bitch killed one of us,” he growled, “What’s so special about a useless bitten wolf like you?” He sneered, and Stiles growled.

“They’re my family. Pack is family, and they think you killed not just pack, but family. This pack is just a bunch of power high alphas, you aren’t a real pack. I bet you didn’t even feel her death,” Stiles yelled back, biting back more harsh words. He wasn’t going to talk himself to death.

The words obviously hit home because Deucalion lashed out, ripping the tender skin of his stomach open once again. He cried out, feeling the blood begin to pour from his wounds that would take even longer to heal because Deucalion was an alpha and he was beginning to run low on energy.

“Don’t kill him!” One of the twins shouted, “We need him as bait, remember?” 

Deucalion said nothing, slowly backing away from Stiles.

“I don’t want anybody else to get hurt, I’m not an unreasonable man,” he said finally, his lips turning up into a smile once again, “So Laura joins us, or we kill you all.”

“That’s a little counterproductive,” Stiles said, and one of the twins sneered, earning them a glare from the other man, who Stiles figured was now probably Deucalion’s second in command because the twins were still young. Ennis, Stiles thought his name was, but they didn’t exactly have any formal introductions.

“Watch them,” Deucalion ordered one of the twins, and lead the other two alphas away. Stiles listened to them leave, and then focused on Boyd and Erica’s heartbeats. They were slow, and Stiles hoped it was because they were unconscious. 

Ethan, Stiles thought it was, was standing to with his back to him.

“Hey, man, you think you could let me down,” Stiles asked, wiggling at the chains that confined his wrists and ankles.

“That’s a little counterproductive,” Ethan answered, imitating Stiles voice high pitched squeaky.

“I don’t sound like that,” Stiles frowned, but quickly wiped the look off his face because this was his captor he was talking to, and he was not going to sit here and crack jokes with him.

“C’mon, Deucalion’s an ass! Why would you even like him? You are basically the bottom rank now because the big dude will take Kali’s spot and you guys will basically just be pawns!” Stiles tried to reason with him, trying not to look smug when Ethan turned towards him, this look on his face like he was considering the options. “I mean, you guys are obviously more powerful together than Ennis, that’s his name right? Because two is better than one, yet Deucalion picks him instead. He probably doesn’t trust you, he’d probably kill you first chance he gets,” Stiles continued for a bit, giving all the points he could possibly think off, his mind working overtime.

Finally, Ethan snapped.

“Can you just shut the fuck up already?” Ethan snapped, flashing his eyes at Stiles, who flinched when Ethan began to approach, claws out. “Aiden’s going to kill me for this,” he muttered, then with one powerful slash, he broke the chains free and Stiles slumped to the ground, his stomach barely healed from the slashes Deucalion had made earlier.

“Wait- Boyd and Erica-“ Stiles realized as Ethan helped him up, and the alpha sighed.

“I’m not sure if your rag tag pack is worth dying for, but neither is Deucalion’s cause, not anymore. We recruit willing alphas, we don’t go around killing entire packs. I barely even felt Kali’s death, because what you said…we’re not a real pack,” Ethan explained, but Stiles still kept his distance from him. He was afraid this was all some sort of cruel joke or game and Ethan was going to turn on him at any second.

As they were freeing Boyd and Erica, Stiles heard the footsteps of the other alphas return.

“Fuck,” Ethan cursed, looking between the betas and towards where the alphas had entered the building.

“You two, go tell them where we are, we’ll distract them,” Stiles ordered, pointing for Boyd and Erica to flee in the opposite direction.

“Us? Are you crazy Stiles-“ Ethan began to protest, but Stiles got right in front of him.

“Want a real pack? Help me,” Stiles cut him off, and Ethan went quiet, glancing up, his eyes meeting his brother’s. Betrayal flashed through Aiden’s eyes, and he growled, beginning to shift.

“We don’t have to do this anymore,” Ethan said, and though the words would have been weak, his voice came out as a growl- a challenge.

“And what else would we do? Join a rag tag pack of bitten idiots and become the useless omegas again?” Aiden snapped back.

Deucalion’s laugh interrupted either of them from speaking again.

“You think he really cares about you?” He sneered, “Stiles just wants to escape and bring the rest of his rag tags here to kill us. And that includes you.”

“But that’s what they do! Their pack cares, it’s not like my old pack, or this pack,” Ethan argued back, his finger nails elongating, and his fangs growing from under his lips, a snarl pulling past them.

“Run,” Stiles said, and took off in the opposite direction Boyd and Erica had taken, not even looking back to see if Ethan had followed. The sound of steps falling right behind him told him that he had. He tore off into the woods with all his strength, using his size to his advantage, even putting space between him and Ethan. He could hear the other three alphas growls following him, and he swore one of them was running on fours by the sounds of it, and Stiles really didn’t want to know what Deucalion’s alpha form looked like. Some alphas could shift to a full wolf, others couldn’t get past beta form, and some took the form of a half-man half-wolf hybrid which ranged in size and figure. Stiles imagined Deucalion’s as being ugly and dead looking, those beady red eyes on the head of the wolf man, surrounded by matted black fur. He shivered at the thought and ran faster, turning sharply and almost causing Ethan to fall.

He was going to lead the three alphas straight to his pack. They were even with all the betas and three alphas against the alpha pack, though Stiles wasn’t sure how Ethan would fare to combat against his brother.

An ear-piercing howl ripped through the night that chilled Stiles down to the bone. Derek.

~*~

Derek was pacing up and down the floor of the loft, the scent of blood still pungent in his nose. Kali was dead yet he didn’t feel any sense of revenge being fulfilled. He didn’t want to stop until he watched each and every one of them bleed out, and the thought scared him. Laura seemed to notice, but hung back, helping Scott and Isaac clean their wounds while Peter rested. Michael was out back, burning the body. Derek shivered, and though it hadn’t been his claws to make the kill, it still shook him to the core. He had never killed anybody or seen anybody be killed at such a close range, and he was beginning to feel his walls fall. First Stiles dies, and then he loses control, and now he was ready to cry over the sight of blood.

He wished he had told Stiles the real reason he had ran.

Stiles had only been twelve, and it scared the living shit out of him. How could a twelve-year-old be his anchor? He suspected Laura had known, but she hadn’t said anything all those years ago when Derek had stormed out. And when he had returned and Stiles was older, it had been difficult to ignore the tug towards the boy. Now that the anchor was gone, he had no control.

“Boyd and Erica! They’re here!” Michael exclaimed, bursting through the door. Derek had been so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn’t even realized the three sets of pounding feet as Michael burst through the door of the loft.

Scott and Isaac were the first to rush over; welcoming their friends with open arms and hugs, and Derek couldn’t help but feel resentment towards the happiness that was rolling off the group of betas in waves. He would never get to feel that feeling because Stiles was never coming back.

“Ethan! He and Stiles helped us escape, but they’re still there. I think they kept the alphas off our tracks,” Erica was panting, halfway through her story, but that was the only sentence Derek heard. 

“Wait, what?” Scott interrupted her before anyone else could, “The alphas…they killed Stiles a few days ago. We watched the police take his body away,” he added, his head dropping.

“No, he was there,” Boyd argued, “He’s alive, he must not have been dead!”

Derek felt himself still in place, his mind processing the words he had just heard.

“Laura, Derek,” Peter’s voice met his ears, but he could barely hear it. He was standing stock still, his mind going crazy, the words ‘Stiles’ and ‘alive’ bouncing around through his conscious. He only picked up a little of what Peter had said but; “The body wasn’t Stiles, it was another man, they set us up” was clear as day to his ears.

Without thinking, he threw his head back and let out a wanton roar, shifting into full beta form.

All it took was the weak reply from somewhere in the woods for his mind to realize. Stiles, alive, protect. The mantra played over and over in his head and before Laura or Peter could stop him, he was rushing out of the building, jumping down each flight of stairs, almost in full animal. His body felt more alive than it had in days, energy trickling through him. He registered the sound of Laura, Peter, and his pack followed him, and their snarls assured him they were shifted as well.

It was as if his mind knew where to go, leading him through a winding trail through the woods before the sound of growling and claws slashing caught his attention, and he threw himself right in, barreling right into Ennis, knocking the alpha a good few yards away, revealing Stiles’ battered form lying on the ground beneath him.

“Stiles!” Derek croaked, bundling up the boy in his arms, and Stiles gold eyes met his. “Stiles,” he said again, in desperation, leeching some of Stiles’ pain away to find there wasn’t very much.

“I’m happy to see you Sourwolf,” Stiles smiled, hauling himself up in Derek’s embrace, bringing their faces closer. Their eyes met, striking blue against a golden yellow, but before Derek could react, Aiden had dug his claws deep into his back, throwing him off of Stiles and then leaping onto the boy, completely ready to throw the killing blow. Before Derek could react, Michael had intercepted Aiden, and the two tumbled away claws and teeth flashing in a vicious battle for power.

They were too far away to do anything when Aiden pinned Michael swiftly, raising a clawed hand, smiling evilly.

With one simple strike, he ripped Michael’s throat out.

The beta gurgled, blood spurting from his wound and leaking from between his lips and Derek felt the same sting of loss he had felt the day of the fire. It felt like someone had just ripped a limb from his body, and he saw every single pack member reacted the same way, all of their eyes focused on Michael’s now limp body. When Peter saw his son lying there, motionless, Derek saw the grief flood the man’s eyes.

“No!” He shouted, rushing towards his son with a cry so painful Derek felt himself wincing away. Even Aiden seemed surprised at the strength of Peter’s attacks, his strength renewed from the death of his son. Derek wasn’t even surprised when Peter took Aiden down, ripping through the young alpha’s flesh like it was paper, tearing meat from bone, a bloody mess that no one dared interrupt. He put Deucalion’s brutality to shame as he teared apart his son’s killer, painful sounds of loss leaving his lips. 

Ethan had collapsed where he had been fighting Ennis along with Scott and Isaac, and Derek realized he was feeling all the pain his brother had felt as Peter had ripped him limb from limb. As he fell, Ethan’s eyes flashed red one last time before they changed to the cold blue of a beta’s. He had lost his alpha status along with his brother.

Peter finally abandoned the mangled remains of Aiden and slunk over to Michael’s lifeless body, bundling into his arms. Derek had never seen his uncle cry, but the sight before his was pitiful.

“Michael,” Peter whispered, “Please, you can’t do this. I already lost your sister, your brothers, your mother. You were supposed to be the alpha after me, you always were a better one. You were supposed to grow to have kids of your own- a pack of your own. Please, you can’t leave me like this, not now. We’ve made it so far son,” Peter cried, his forehead pressed against Michael’s while he ran his hands through his son’s disheveled hair.

Derek had to turn away because the sight was too much.

“You’re losing Deucalion,” Laura snarled, but Derek could hear the sadness in her tone.

“I can always find new alphas for my pack, you can’t find new family,” he sneered back, slashing at her again, but she easily dodged. Launching back in. Like a switch had been flipped, they launched back into battle again, furious growls coming from Scott and Isaac as they tried to avenge the death of their packmate. Deucalion had knocked out Boyd who was lying to the side of the clearing unconscious and Erica was trying to drag Ethan’s body clear of the fighting before Ennis could land a killing blow on any of them. 

Derek rushed back over to Stiles who had not moved from where he had left him, except now, black goo had begun oozing from the corners of Stile’s lips.

“What’s happening?” Derek worried, wiping it away as well as the blood. Stiles skin had gone white as a sheet and his breath was coming in erratic gasps for air.

Stiles didn’t answer, instead pulling Derek close, close enough that their breaths mingled in the cool air.

“Michael’s dead,” Stiles whispered, his nose brushing Derek’s, and he realized how close they really were.

“I thought I had lost you,” Derek said, despite the tugging pain from the death of his cousin. He knew he may not have another chance to tell Stiles this. “They made me think they had killed you,” he said, trying to drown out his sister’s angry shrieks as she desperately clawed at Deucalion, or Peter whimpers as he clutched his dead son in his arms. It was all too much, and now, Stiles was sick from whatever Ennis had done to him. “You’re not healing!”

“Don’t worry about me, help them,” Stiles said, his voice getting weaker.

“No, I’m not leaving you. Now again,” Derek growled, dipping his face down so their foreheads pressed together. They were both fully shifted, and Stiles’ glowing eyes met his and he finally spoke again, “I love you. I know I never said it before, but I do, I always did,” Derek whispered, and Stiles didn’t react for a few moments, his hand coming to rest on the nape of Derek’s neck.

“I love you too,” Stiles smiled, “More than anything,” he added, and he leaned up, pressing his lips to Derek’s in a kiss that made his head go dizzy. It was over as quick as it began, and Stiles was leaning away. “But you have to help the others,” he said, and Derek nodded. He dragged Stiles farther away to where Erica was hiding with Ethan. The beta was bleeding profusely from a wound in her side where one of the alpha’s claws had dug deep into her side, and Derek’s eyes met hers.

“Stay safe,” he whispered, before he stood and turned, his gaze fixing in on Ennis, who was batting at Scott and Isaac as they attacked together, their movements almost as fluid as the twins’ had been. He launched himself in, more recklessly than he’d like to admit, sinking his claws deep into the alpha’s flesh and tugging, feeling the satisfying crunch of ribs under his touch.

Ennis threw him off with a roar, distracting Scott long enough to get a good hit in of Isaac that Scott could not stop, tossing the beta like a doll through the air. Scott cried out as he watched his friends body crumple to the ground, but Derek could hear his heart still beating and that was the only reassurance he needed, throwing himself back in with a roar of his own, sinking his teeth into the flesh of Ennis’ shoulder and ripping back, feeling muscle tear and bones crack as the alpha fell back.

Before he could react, a clawed hand was digging into his stomach, flipping him around and slamming him so hard onto the ground he felt blood spill past his lips. The air was knocked out of him and he gasped for breath as Ennis came back down on him, going for the killing blow when suddenly he was ripped off of Derek.

Derek looked to see Scott’s eyes glowing red as he yanked Ennis through the air, his claws dug deep into his back, and slamming him to the forest floor.

“Scott…” Derek gasped out, finally feeling his breath come back to him, “Your eyes!”

Scott looked confused, letting his guard down for just enough time for Ennis to attack back, ripping from Scott’s hold and knocking the boy into the nearby tree with a splintering crack.

Peter, who must have abandoned Michael’s body, rushed past Derek to get a blow in on Ennis, making the alpha flail and turn around to face Peter with a snarl.

“I’m going to tear into you and rip your throat out, just like your son,” he smiled, but his words had been his downfall because they sent Peter into a rage, and it only took a few swipes before Peter had lodged his claws into Ennis’ throat, ripping it out in a clean blow, causing the huge body to fall to the ground, Peter falling with it. But he didn’t stop there, ripping his claws into Ennis’ chest, tearing at him like he had Aiden.

“Peter! Peter stop!” Scott yelled, and Peter’s gaze snapped up as Scott’s eyes flashed red again, and an alpha voice rang through the trees. Laura and Deucalion froze, and he seemed to realize his only remaining pack member had fallen.

“The true alpha, he drawled out, so rare among us, yet here is this puny bitten wolf. A true alpha? Let’s see how much of a true alpha you are dead!” Deucalion snarled but his words were short lived because it was not very hard for Laura, with the help of Peter, to take the blind alpha down.

Once he had fallen, silence filled the clearing, and Erica slinked from the bushes where she had been hiding. Laura helped Boyd to his feet and Scott rushed over to Isaac to assess his wounds, wrapping his arms around the curly-haired beta once he was assured he was okay.

Derek rushed over to the bushes to see Ethan bent over Stiles unconscious body and growled.

“No, it’s okay, he okay, but he needs a hospital,” the former alpha said, and that was all it took for Derek to scoop Stiles up in his arms despite his bloodied appearance and run through the woods with the boy in arms.

The story went they had been attacked, and someone had killed Michael.

The police spent a week searching for a killer, and came up with nothing. Stiles did not wake up for that entire week, his condition slowly worsening.

“He’s dying, and no matter how much of his pain you take, there will always be more,” Laura sighed, placing a hand on Derek’s shoulder. She had heard of it happening before, an alpha inflicted wound being too much to heal. Ennis had smashed Stiles’ skull against the ground hard enough to smash a human’s skull, so it was a miracle he was even alive now. “There’s only one way to save him, but it would require an alpha. And there is risk to it,” Laura said, forcing Derek to release Stiles’ hand.

“I’ll do it!” Scott exclaimed, jumping up. Throughout the week, he had discovered he was in fact a true alpha as Deucalion had said.

“It wouldn’t work,” Laura sighed, “It would have to be an alpha who took their power. Who had that power to give. I inherited my status, and you are a true alpha. Neither of us have that kind of strength,” Laura explained, and Scott sunk back into his seat, the light of hope leaving his eyes.

“I’ll do it,” a voice said from the door, and Derek’s eyes snapped up to meet Peter’s.

“Peter…there’s risks…” Laura began, but Peter wasn’t listening, walking across the hospital room with determination.

“I have nothing left to lose,” he said, his voice cold. He had lost not only his son, but his pack as well who were bound to favor Scott over him. Neither Derek nor Laura argued as Peter took Stiles’ hand in his both his own, closing his eyes as black veins began to tangle their way up his arm, and then his other, and they spread across his body, running up his neck and spreading across his face. He threw his head back with a roar, slumping away from Stiles who shot up in bed with a gasp while Peter slumped to the ground.

~*~

Epilogue –

Its hard  
Letting go  
I’m finally at peace  
But it feels wrong  
Slow, I’m getting up  
My hand and feet are   
Weaker than before

Stiles’ eyes flickered open when the sun filtered through the window of the room, casting a bright light directly in his face. A warm figure was tangled with his, their skin warm and sweaty under his touch. Their naked skin was pressed against his back, their legs tangled with his and their hand resting on his chest right over his heart.

Stiles turned himself over, rousing the person.

“Mornin’ Sourwolf,” Stiles smiled, and Derek groaned, pushing Stiles away, but there was still a smile on his face.

“You suck, you know that?” He said, but his voice was amused.

“No you love me,” Stiles countered, flipping over so he was straddling Derek’s waist, his hands on either side of his head.

“I do,” Derek muttered in defeat, leaning up and capturing Stiles’ lips for a chaste morning kiss.

“Ew! Morning breath!” Stiles said, and Derek rolled his eyes, resting his hand on the nape of Stiles neck, the other slowly tracing down Stiles bare side. “You know we have a few minutes…” Stiles began, leaning down to give Derek another kiss, licking into his open mouth. Derek let out a small groan, flipping their bodies over so he was looming over Stiles’ smaller figure. His fingers delicately traced over the scars lining Stiles’ bare arms, and for once, the boy didn’t flinch away.

“As much as we’d all love to hear you two get it on,” Laura began, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Isaac made pancakes, so breakfast is up,” she said, “And full cloth yourself, the last thing I need is you two prancing around in your underwear,” she said, shuddering at the many, many memories she had of catching them in the act. She had seen enough for her entire lifetime, so it was fully dressed or not at all.

They quickly tugged on clothes, and Derek chuckled when Stiles picked on of his gray sleep shirts instead of his own, knowing it would mess with the rest of them. But he loved it- smelling like Derek that was. It was a comforting scent, and he would envelope himself with it if he could.

They sat down at the table, already spotting the large mound of pancakes Stiles assumed Isaac had struggled to make. He couldn’t help notice the boy’s accomplished smile, like he did every time he made a meal without Laura’s help. She had been using every spare second to teach the boy how to cook ever since he had moved in with them. He had been staying with Peter and Michael in the loft, and would have had nowhere to go. Ethan was sitting beside Isaac, smiling with the boy. He had yet to get over the death of his brother, but he did not blame Peter for what he had done, or any of the rest of them. He had realized his brother was wrong long before he had died, and he had found a home here as well.

But they hadn’t left Beacon Hills.

Laura had decided that they couldn’t leave again, especially not with Scott being a new alpha with no one to teach him. So she had spent the hot summer months forcing them to help with the rebuilding of the Hale mansion, and Stiles had almost been terrified to see the outcome. The home he had grown up in was standing before him again, no longer a ghost of what it had been.

A few meltdowns and panic attacks later, the house began to feel like home again for Stiles. He couldn’t help but figure it was also because of Derek’s helping hand, and finally feeling like pack again.

When the third and final Hale entered the kitchen, a stilled silence crossed them for a few moments before Stiles piped up.

“Morning Uncle Peter,” Stiles smiled like he had every morning since they had moved into the house, just as he had when he was ten. Derek didn’t stop him because out of all of them, he suspected Stiles was the one that helped the most in Peter’s healing process. The man was no longer an alpha, and he had given that up for Stiles despite his lust for power, so Stiles had spent almost every second trying to make it up to him.

He couldn’t bring back Peter, but he sure as hell could try to make him happy.

And Derek loved him for that. And for everything else about him.

“Morning Stiles, I expect to see you later in the library, the book isn’t going to learn itself,” Peter said, cracking a small smile. Just as they had when they were young, Stiles was learning Latin from Peter in the old Hale library which Stiles had already managed to fill halfway with books, constantly coming home with all varieties from novels, to text books, to a translated bestiary (thanks to Lydia), and even a few comics.

Everything couldn’t have felt more right. The fire had burned, and the world was gone, but suddenly, everything seemed to have healed itself, and Derek couldn’t help but notice by the time breakfast had finished, Stiles’ scars had healed, and unblemished skin was left in its wake.

"Take my mind and take my pain. Like an empty bottle takes the rain. And heal, heal, hell, heal" - Tom Odell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart goes out to Peter because I feel like he was such a wasted character. I would have loved to see more of him in season five because im a sucker and still believe he could be good. Also, the ending, eh? Poor Michael, but that was Peter's punishment for what he had done.
> 
> Also, the song just reminded me of Stiles' scars healing and yeah <3 can't believe this fic is already over, and thank you so much for all your support :) I plan to write more in the future, so stay tuned for that! 
> 
> \- Cas


End file.
